Braves History: Red Barrett Sets Record for Efficiency

Every pitcher wants to be as efficient as possible on the mound. On this day in 1944, Boston Braves starter Red Barrett made his efficiency an art form.

In the era of pitch counts and innings limits, complete games are becoming increasingly rare. We have a majority of players working to inflate the opposing pitcher’s pitch count, and an increase in strikeouts. That combination leads to early exits, and therefore, fewer complete games.

That strategy was not always in place. Before the past decade or two, players would go to the dish swinging and looking to make contact. That was never more evident than on this day in 1944, when Boston Braves starter Red Barrett set a major league record by throwing only 56 pitches in a complete game victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The 2-0 victory would be Barrett’s only shutout of the season. He allowed two base runners, as Gee Walker singled in the first inning, and Eddie Miller led off the bottom of the sixth was a single. Barrett had the Reds swinging early and often, as he neither walked nor struck out a batter. All that contact went right to his defense, as he finished with a two hit shutout.

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Given how quickly Barrett dispatched the Reds, it is not a surprise that the game was over in short order. The game lasted just one hour and fifteen minutes, an MLB record for a night game. Rob Manfred, and his dreams of speeding up the game, are gazing upon this performance with obvious joy.

While Barrett is best remembered for this outing, he did have other moments in the majors. In 1945, he led the National League with 23 wins, 24 complete games, and 284.2 innings pitched. Although the game was not played, Barrett was named to the All Star team that year, and finished third in the MVP vote. He was also traded to the Cardinals for Mort Cooper that year, after Cooper steadfastly refused to play unless he was given a pay raise.

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If Rob Manfred is serious about speeding up the game, he may want to review Red Barrett’s performance from this day in 1944. With a record 56 pitches, the Braves starter fired a complete game shutout.